Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys was a German performance artist who is famous for locking himself in a cage with a coyote. Beuys did performance art because he believed that art could play a large role in society, especially his art. Along with social art, Beuys also was a political advocate, creating several different groups with platforms. Beuys' most famous performance is called, "I Like America and America Likes Me". For a grand total of eight hours over three days, Beuys put himself into a cage with a live coyote. During the time span of staying with the coyote, Beuys would stand away from the coyote as the coyote would either rip things apart with its' mouth or stare cautiously at Beuys, preying on him. At other times, Beuys would actually interact with the coyote, sitting extremely close to the coyote or tempting the coyote with a stick or a rag. Beuys put himself at a large risk for his performance artwork. By the end of the three days, Beuys was actually able to give the coyote a hug before he left. This means that the coyote became comfortable with Beuys. I think Beuys' message in this piece of performance art is to express how the everyday world can interact with the wild and grow to become tolerant of one another.